Great Lakes/ Mackinac Substitute
 

I'm in the beginning stages of planning a trip that starts and ends in Chicago. One goal of the trip is to see several different baseball parks. I'm considering Toronto as the far edge of our trip - mostly because I want to see Niagara Falls. But that's a lot of driving. So I started thinking about dropping Toronto. I always wanted to see Mackinac Island but that also adds lots of driving. Here's the route so far - what can you suggest as a substitute that doesn't involve 8 hours round trip to get back to a baseball city?
Chicago - Detroit - Cleveland- Chicago. We may add Milwaukee, too.

Cincinnati and Louisville - I am from Milwaukee area so I guess I would not find it worth the trip rather I’d head south. Niagara is worth a visit as well.
Probably a 5-6 hour drive from Cleveland.
May I suggest attractions along your route:
Indiana Dunes NATIONAL Lake shore on the south tip (almost) of Lake Michigan
Cedar Point Amusement park in Sandusky Ohio on shore of Lake Erie. Consistently ranked the #1 Amusement Park in the WORLD.
If You go to Cincinnati then go to Louisville Kentucky. a hour or so south of Cincinnati you could take a driving break at the Kentucky Horse Park the only park like it in the WORLD
In Louisville - Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory the Official Bat of Major League Baseball.

(While there you could see Old Louisville. It is the THIRD LARGEST historic preservation district in the United States, and the LARGEST single neighborhood featuring purely Victorian architecture. It is also unique in that a majority of its structures are made of brick, and the neighborhood is said to contain the HIGHEST CONCENTRATION of residential homes with stained glass windows in the U.S. You could also see just across the river, the 386-million-year-old fossil beds. They are among the largest naturally exposed Devonian fossil beds in the WORLD. At Falls of the Ohio State Park)

On the way back to Chicago you could take a driving break in Indianapolis to see the Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial, our nations HIGHEST military decoration.

ps 5-6 hours from Cleveland to Cincinnati.

If you want to stay along the Great Lakes you can add Buffalo and Toronto, not a bad drive. I'd include Milwaukee since it's so close to you. Of, course Buffalo assumes that you dont mind visiting a AAA ballpark. If that's the case you can break it up even more and add Toledo.

I enjoy visiting ballparks in various cities and minor league parks are especially fun to go to.

I have been searching "Lake Michigan Resorts" on the internet - what locatoin should I be looking for. I have the baseball part of the trip planned (overplanned!). Now I want to add the natural beauty or fun outdoor activity part of the trip. The Indian Dunes Park doesn't have accomodations - is there a resort area neaby? By resort, I don't need fancy(but that would be fine!). I'm more interested in interacting with the lake or surrounding area.

My only comment is that I would definitely try to find a way to include Milwaukee. We're from the Chicago suburbs and try to get to a Brewers game every year because it's one of our favorite ball parks.

Can you list your final ballpark itinerary?

That would make it easier to find places for you to stay.

For now, the itinerary is Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Cedar Point, Chicago. We'll add a day trip to Milwaukee for one game.

I've been to all of them in the Midwest- literally- even the new Comerica in Detroit. Ask me whatever!

But having done so much baseball driving, I must tell you that the Toronto in/out is time consuming, IMHO.

Don't forget the schedules, as they aren't going to meld with your driving times. Planning these sequences of timing often means MORE driving and/or and not seeing a game. Just an empty ball park. Not for me, I want to see a game.

I look at the schedules first and go from there. I try to hit all the Interleague play times, before and after the 4th of July/ All Star break periods or with longer air flight April or Sept. That way I can see the White Sox in St. Louis or playing a team that is OUTSIDE their division. Then you get to see National League AND American League interplay beyond just the narrower in section games. Rarer, and not the same Twins or Brewers game you saw against the same league teams they constantly play.

You can't plan a trip until you realize who is home and who is away at any one time. That's why I'm waiting until the White Sox play the Yankees at the same time that the Mets are home- for the next trip there.

Also, timewise going around the bottom of Lake Michigan will be a killer, IMHO. It always is to us. If money is not a big factor, consider the ferry that goes to Milwaukee.

Last year I had to do a long extra drive to double back between Toronto, Detroit, and Cleveland.

I've combed through the schedules so I have home games for all these trips. I don't really care who the other team is - too much complication for me! (To be far, I don't care about either team. The baseball portion of the trip is for others in the family.) The one thing I'm doing that makes it a bit harder is that I want to be in Chicago on a Thursday to watch the taping of a radio show but the White Sox and Cubs change over in mid-week. I have to circle back to get the 2nd team.
I like the ferry idea. I googled this and found one from Milwaukee to Michigan. Are there others I should be aware of?
Any further ideas on lakeshore retreats?

what do you mean by lakeshore retreats?

You said the ballparks are for others in the group. What is it that you want to do and see?

By lakeshore retreat, I mean somewhere on a lake along my route that has something special - it could be neat activities (fishing, boating, sliding down rock slides into a river, biking, hiking, shopping, spa), it could be beautiful scenery. This retreat/resort would take the place of what was originally going to be Niagara Falls (scenery)or Mackinac Island. I've rejected both as they are too much of a drive. My part of the trip is (a) the joy of planning! (b) the radio show (c) relaxing at nice hotels and (d) this nature or lake or other event. I like going to games, too, but I'm more of a spectator than fan.

keymom, there are lots of threads on here re Lake Michigan lodging etc. Use the search function and they will all come up- as differing route etc. make a big difference. I know SW Michigan but there are lots of other lake locations as well in IN and coming from OH.

The Lake Michigan shoreline area has been kept WELL, much more pristinely then other areas of the country, and so resort building has not been allowed/zoned, for the most part.

There are some places in SouthHaven that include ON the beach Lake Michigan. Sleepy Hollow is one. It's not fancy- but lots of activity is available. This would be good access to Chicago. B&B's galore but most do not have lake access, IMHO. Saugatuck and Grand Haven- up near Silver Lake Sand Dunes / Mears etc.

And there are numerous inland spring fed lakes with rentals all throughout MI. Some of these have water craft or fishing etc. with the rentals. IN has some as well. Depending upon your route- I would google for these.

If you take the ferry across, you could stay at the Blue Harbor Inn and Resort on Lake Michigan in Sheyboygan.

It has a large waterpark. Our room faced the lake.

I'd reserve that soon. It seems to book quickly.

You have probably figured this out but if you are starting from Chicago then I can see no point of taking the ferry out of Milwaukee. I am from Milwaukee area and have taken the ferry. With your itinerary: Chicago\Detroit\Cleveland\Cedar Point/Chicago. It would be counter productive time wise. Neat experience but only if you were starting or ending at Milwaukee and don't mind spending the money to avoid Chicago. For 4 and car a tad shy of $400.00